Tree Magnet

This stout packs a punch! 

I'm sure he had other issues the LSD only accelerated what would have been anyway.

Is there any problem that a bigger whacking stick can’t solve? I think not.


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Syd Barrett is my cautionary “don’t do drugs” example for my kids. I saw a Pink Floyd documentary where they talked about him and it was brutal. So much potential that was never realized.

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I love watching Danny Hart ride.  He seems like he's always in complete control and nothing can phase him.  It's a beautiful thing.

On the other side of the coin, he tends to struggle in the social media game which is an unfortunate problem in the sponsorship world.  I think that Cube will do well having him keep his helmet on and let the riding talk.  Then again, what the hell do I know?!

1 hour ago, The Tip said:

He even said, "We very much appreciate the respect the community has given the area, no complaints here." So they have walked around and seen everything there is to see and are good with it.

 

How can we get this guy and his committee to become our poster child for how mountain bikers can work with communities to create amenities that drive up the home value and prevent the encroachment of things they don't want?  This is so great.  Excellent work out there!

Is it worth getting the Bowie Bulldogs involved? That’s a lot of bodies, right there.

These are their home trails, they have a trailer, and there are a lot of them. Sounds like they definitely should be involved. Having kids there also shows that we’re not all cranky old farts (no offense TAF).

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We need to make sure to get before and after pictures as well as pictures of the bags of trash. This is huge potential positive PR for SATN and mountain bikers.

This is awesome.


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there's a fun universal signal for canine feces on the trail. you just yell "poop!" at the top your lungs and every knows to swerve around the landmine.

When I hear someone in front of me yell “...Oh $hit!” it generally means there’s an unexpected drop that he/she just hit. The feces in this case might be rider based and not dog based.

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The general level of trash is appalling in the sections of the SATN which I regularly ride. Piles of garbage and clothing strewn all over the place under just about every bridge, plus the Valero area trailheads. We ought to get organized as a group and do some cleanup, as I've a feeling no one else will.

The last thing I want with a driver is ambiguity about where I’m going to be. Do hand signals help? Sure. Do I trust the driver to know what they mean or even care? No f’in way.


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I was up there right after they opened it and it was super cool. I hit no fewer than 3 Velosolutions pump tracks in that area and they were all new and so fun.

It’s a great way to get comfortable jumping and riding bigger features.


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6 hours ago, First-Blood said:

It was cool seeing people using BR last night. Needs few tweaks after some use but it is a cool section and for having the elevation change it has between the two entrances it flows pretty well both ways. It was also funny to watch a guy totally confused on if he was on right trail to head to RJ while he was at the entrance to it. He just rode BR and I will say it changes up the look now. But still funny

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I stumbled onto a couple of guys heading off into BR yesterday afternoon from the Rim Job entrance.  I didn't know it was the trail builders and thought it was just two dudes ducking under the "Trail closed" fence.  I started to give them a little shit but they identified as trail builders so I backed off.  Sorry about that.  I felt a little like a 'Karen' I guess but I thought saying something was the lesser of two evils.

Stoked to have that connection built up!  Well done trail builders.

Fire ants. After big rains they pop up everywhere--especially in open fields like one might find on the Southie Trails (or cow pastures). Growing up on the coast as a kid, when it would flood the fire ants would build new mounds on top of their dead compatriots and float in the ditches.
 

6 hours ago, crazyt said:

My 8 year old has pretty much hijacked all my riding time. He can kind of do the full walnut route, but prefers to just cycle log loops, powerline, and close with bmx.

Then my oldest (13) started to join us. She cant quite hang with the 8 yo. And the 5 yo is now going as well which means  I get stuck doing .6 and log loops only.

Dude...I have but one piece of advice for you and if you ever listen to anyone on the internet, listen to this:  Ride with your kids every chance you get. 

They are enjoying themselves, outside, exercising, and doing something that you can do with them.  There is no better way to spend your time.  If I could go back in time and relive all those rides with my kids, I'd do it in a heartbeat.  Once they find hobbies that you only watch (rock climbing, gymnastics, parkour, ballet, etc....), you'll be on the sidelines wishing you were out riding log loops for the third time in a row while they pedaled in front of you dodging every root.  Good times.

My son is the same. VERY timid on anything with a decent downhill slope. He walks down the dips on the outer log loop. If anyone knows how to get him over that, I’m all ears.

Great picture!


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My wife and kids will never see this pic. Damn...I can’t even look at it!


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I think life is short and I want to maximize my enjoyment when I ride. So, I’d put the wheelset on the bike that makes me smile more and never take it off unless there is a problem. If there is a problem, I’d mount that second set and ride.

If you’re afraid of damaging the carbon wheelset, you probably won’t enjoy riding them because all you’ll think about is that rock waiting to destroy them.

Just my thoughts.


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The wife thinks we need a gun. I grew up with guns, but I don’t own one. Any suggestions on what we should look for and concerns when traveling with a gun through different states?  Thanks. 

Also saw this monster near the house. I want one.


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Saw this beast at the Govalle trailhead today. Lifted Previa? Thought@cbaron might appreciate.


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46 minutes ago, AntonioGG said:

My time to ask for help.  On my fairly new gravel grinder (only about 1000 miles) with GRX, I have a clicking sound (does not sound like a loose BB) but only when I apply high torque to the pedals.  The gear doesn't seem to matter.  It's a double click with every revolution.  This means I think it's going to be hard for me to reproduce on the stand.  I would normally have thought it has to be a stiff link except for the correlation to revolution.  Maybe it is a BB creak and it just sounds different to me?

I've seen this when there was an issue with my rear quick-release axle.  I'm suspecting you don't have quick release skewers but check that spacer that is pressed against the frame by the axle.  That had cracked on mine and resulted in a little tick that drove me nuts for a few rides.

51 minutes ago, mtb_jeremy said:

Have any of you visited the skatepark in Taylor (Pierce Park)?  They don't seem to mind bikes, but not sure how busy it is.  

 

That looks awesome.  I wonder how they keep water from pooling in the bottom?  I don't see any drains.

1 hour ago, MikeyG said:

Well, full disclosure: I’m asking for my daughter (soon to be 13). I just bought her a (new to us) bike to get started racing and it came with 27.5 x 3.0’s. Wondering if it’s worth it to get a 2.6 or 2.4 set up to have options for various trail conditions??
The wheel set is wtb st i40’s. The rim seems pretty wide for a 2.4 or 2.6 tire. Definitely on the heavy side.
Am I over-thinking it? I raced BMX in blue jeans in the 80’s and won a shit load of races.


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13 yo shredder looking to race will probably want the lightest bike they can get and will trade traction and fun for weight.  That being said, you can certainly get much lighter tires if you get something narrower.  I'd think that you could pick up a pretty cheap 27.5 wheelset that would work with narrower tires for not too much money.  I'm like @CBaron but not nearly as fast.  I ride for fun and to me that means I'll sacrifice a little weight for all the benefits of big, meaty, tires.

58 minutes ago, Shanerpvt said:

Crash replacement rim - $275 ($250 + $50 shipping).

Working on getting it replaced locally.

Good luck man and keep us updated.  For what it's worth, I got carbon rims (Lite Bicycles) for my hardtail 29+ bike and I really like them.  I don't really notice the weight savings (which was significant) but I do notice the toughness and ability to stay true despite being smashed through rock gardens with no shock.  It was a good upgrade and I'd do it again.